The first Secretary of Transportation was Alan Stephenson Boyd, nominated to the post by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ronald Reagan's second Secretary of Transportation, Elizabeth Dole, was the first female holder, and Mary Peters was the second. Gerald Ford's nominee William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. was the first African American to serve as Transportation Secretary, and Federico Peña, serving under Bill Clinton, was the first Hispanic to hold the position, subsequently becoming Secretary of Energy. Japanese-American Norman Mineta, who had previously been Secretary of Commerce, is the longest-serving Secretary, holding the post for over five and a half years,[3] and Andrew Card is the shortest-serving Secretary, serving only eleven months. Neil Goldschmidt was the youngest secretary, taking office at age thirty nine, while Norman Mineta was the oldest, retiring at age seventy four.[5] On January 23, 2009, the sixteenth secretary Ray LaHood took office, serving under the administration of Democrat Barack Obama; he had previously been a Republican Congressman from Illinois for fourteen years.[6] The salary of the Secretary of Transportation is $199,700.[7]

As of February 2019, there are twelve living, former Secretaries of Transportation (with all Secretaries that have served since 1983 still living), the oldest being Alan S. Boyd (served 1967–1969, born 1922). The most recent Secretary of Transportation to die was William T. Coleman, Jr. (served 1975–1977, born 1920) on March 31, 2017. The most recently serving Secretary of Transportation to die was Andrew L. Lewis (served 1981–1983, born 1931), who died on February 10, 2016.